Editorial: Age restrictions not outdated yet

By Halifax Media

Published: Friday, May 3, 2013 at 02:21 PM.

The Obama administration is hardly the darling of social conservatives. So when President Barack Obama calls age restrictions on the Plan B “morning-after pill” and its generic substitutes “common sense,” we’re hardly talking about an issue that’s been hijacked by the religious right.

And yet federal District Judge Edward Korman believes it’s arbitrary and capricious to insist on age restrictions for this controversial contraceptive.

Korman apparently thinks pre-teens should be able to buy contraceptive pills as long as they can reach the counter and fork over the cash.

Korman pooh-poohed the idea of 11-year-olds heading to the local drugstore for a dose of Plan B. Not many 11-year-olds are having sex, and they can’t afford the $40-$50 cost per pill, he said.

Since when did the fact that something is prohibitively expensive become a mitigating legal factor? And if the judge isn’t wise enough to figure out that what can happen will happen, it’s probably too late for him to learn.

Oddly enough, some people still believe that it’s inappropriate for unmarried young teens to engage in sexual activity. Many of the people who still feel that way are the parents of young teenage girls. And they still believe that they should be allowed control over what their children can and cannot do.

The Obama administration is hardly the darling of social conservatives. So when President Barack Obama calls age restrictions on the Plan B “morning-after pill” and its generic substitutes “common sense,” we’re hardly talking about an issue that’s been hijacked by the religious right.

And yet federal District Judge Edward Korman believes it’s arbitrary and capricious to insist on age restrictions for this controversial contraceptive.

Korman apparently thinks pre-teens should be able to buy contraceptive pills as long as they can reach the counter and fork over the cash.

Korman pooh-poohed the idea of 11-year-olds heading to the local drugstore for a dose of Plan B. Not many 11-year-olds are having sex, and they can’t afford the $40-$50 cost per pill, he said.

Since when did the fact that something is prohibitively expensive become a mitigating legal factor? And if the judge isn’t wise enough to figure out that what can happen will happen, it’s probably too late for him to learn.

Oddly enough, some people still believe that it’s inappropriate for unmarried young teens to engage in sexual activity. Many of the people who still feel that way are the parents of young teenage girls. And they still believe that they should be allowed control over what their children can and cannot do.

Parental control is a long-established principle, as is limiting juvenile access to certain activity. Most people don’t believe enabling minors to participate in sex is appropriate. Even those with liberal attitudes toward sex generally agree that it’s unhealthy for kids to engage in sexual activity before they attain a level of maturity.

The line society draws between childhood and adulthood is arbitrary by nature. It’s based on age, and since people mature at different rates, both physically and mentally, one size does not fit all.

But it’s a lot better than drawing no line, which seems to be Korman’s approach.